In My Art

Chapter 5-The Beautiful Process

Song- Autumn Town Leaves by Iron & Wine

…/…

“Hi Bryan,” I said, unsure of why he was staring at me. “Hi, you’re in my class, right?” Oh so, first he stared at me and now, he’s not sure whether I’m in his class or not. How delightful!

“Yeah, I am”. “I am so sorry but I can’t remember your name”. If this is him trying to make small talk, then it’s not cute at all, because I remember him staring at me in that class till the end, with occasional glances and whatnot.

“It’s Charlotte. Are you trying to make small talk? Because I remember that you kept looking at me in class that day,” I said. I didn’t know where that confidence was from but I liked it. He raises both hands up and says, “Guilty”.

I nod and say, “Right. Well, I’m headed to get some art supplies so I have to go now”. “Can I go with you?” he asks. I paused to think for a while. He doesn’t look like a 5 anymore, his confidence has pushed him to a 6, and I think that’s cute.

“Yeah, sure”. We walked out of the boys’ dorm together and I was secretly hoping Ty wouldn’t see us because he’d think I had turned him down to walk with Bryan. I’m also hoping my mystery guy doesn’t see me from a distance and think Bryan is my boyfriend.

“So do you paint?” I said, trying to start up a conversation. “No, why?” “Well, you seemed really interested when I mentioned I was going to get art supplies”. “I just want to take a walk with you, is that so bad?” “No, at least I’m not complaining”.

…/…

I ended up spending the entire evening with Bryan. We talked about everything and everything, from his family and how he has two sisters, twins, who are the prettiest. He showed me their pictures and I couldn’t stop cooing. His dad runs a multimillionaire company and he’s only studying Literature because he actually wants to.

A few years after school, he’d have to take over the company, but he doesn’t mind because he likes business too and he’s already helping his dad handle legal matters and contract affairs with foreigners. To a large extent, I was impressed with everything he said and how mature he actually is. In my head, he maneuvered his way and went up to a solid 8.

Most of all, I can’t get what he said out of my mind and how he said it. He said, “I love your mind and the color of your eyes” and I said, “Those are two distinct subject areas of my being for you to like,” but then he replied, “Are they really? I like your green eyes, but still, they convey information about what has been seen to your brain and then your mind dissects it all. All I’m saying is the process is beautiful”.

It’s been four hours since he said that and I’m still full-on smiling. “For someone like me, a hopeless romantic, it’s either love at first sight or a growing feeling in the form of a comfortable friendship, and I’m still trying to tell what it is I like about Bryan because a few days ago, he was a 5 and now, he’s an 8,” I say to Lexie.

She’s the only one in the apartment, so she had to listen to me rant or I would go insane. She’s about to say something when I say, “You know what? I think I had just missed getting such attention from a boy. Tim would’ve never gone as deep as Bryan went this evening and I just love it so yeah, that’s it”.

“I was just about to say that,” Lexie says, then she adds, “Wait it out and check in after a few weeks”. “Sure. I can do that, thanks Lexie”.

…/…

“Hey, Bryan”. “Oh hi! I was about to ask if you could wait for a little while so I’d walk you to your suite today or we could probably get food”. I quickly shake away the fact that he just casually asked me out on a date.

“Uhm yeah, I guess, but before that, there’s this friend of mine that resumed TSC yesterday and Literature is his major too, so could you add his number to the group so he’d know how to catch up and he’d know the schedule for all our classes too?”

“Sure, where is he?” “Ty,” I yelled, so he’d come into the office. “Yeah, hi,” he says to Bryan, and then, they go on to do the bro handshake thing, I will never understand guys. “So, what’s your name?” “Tyler”. Ty proceeds to give Bryan his number and Bryan, in turn, tells him a few things about the department that we were told on the first day, during the tour.

“Okay, thanks Bryan,” Ty says as he drags me out of the office whilst holding my hand. “Ty, hold up, I’m walking with Bryan. I didn’t know that I would. I’m sorry”. I had promised him that I’d give him a tour of the females’ dorm to set him on the right path to getting a girlfriend.

“It’s okay,” he says, but I know deep down that it wasn’t. I mean, I blew him off yesterday and I’m doing the same thing again today. “You can come by this evening though, I can give you the tour then”. “Sure, I’ll come by”. “Bring cookies on your way,” I yelled as he left the hall.

“So you like cookies, huh? Well then, let’s go get you cookies”. I look at him with a ‘you can’t be serious’ face. “I’m serious. We can get it on our way to your dorm,” he presses. “You really don’t have to stress about it, Ty’s already getting for me, I’m sure it’ll be enough”.

“I see you guys are pretty close”. “Yeah, we are. I’ve known him since I was eleven”. “Alright! I’d best not get in the middle of that,” Bryan says. Something about the way he says it makes me want to explain that there’s nothing going on between Ty and me.

“Hey, uhm, I know you didn’t ask, but I don’t have any romantic feelings for him. In fact, I’m giving him a tour this evening of the female’s dorm so he'll get a girlfriend. We’re close but more like siblings, plus he’s not my type”. “Oh really? So, what’s your type then?”

“I don’t know,” I said, smiling nervously because my first instinct was to say that he's my type, even though he isn’t exactly my type too. “That’s okay”. “Anyway,” I dragged out. “All I know right now is that I don’t have feelings for Ty and he doesn’t have feelings for me too”. “Well, that’s good, because I’m not about to ask a girl Ty likes to dinner,” he announces, as he pushes the door to the hall.

I stopped in my tracks for a few seconds before hurriedly walking forward to meet him. After a few seconds of being silent, I say, “I really don’t know how to respond to what you said”. “You don’t have to respond now. It’s supposed to be a future date, plus I understand that you’re just leaving something and I respect that”. He didn’t look at me the entire time he said that and I didn’t dare to look at him either because I knew my cheeks would betray me. “Thank you,” I said, looking at my shoes as though they were more interesting than what we were talking about.

…/…

“It looked like I turned him down and he just said that to save himself,” I say, pacing. “You turned who down?” Jane asks. “Or maybe he said that because he actually respects you and the affairs of your heart,” Lexie says. “You’re turning people down now? Didn’t you just break up with your ex?” ID asks.

“Okay, you guys really need to be kept updated,” I said to both Jane and ID. “Lexie, please fill them in,” I added. “Wait,” Jane shouted before running to get the big bucket of ice cream from the fridge and four spoons.

Lexie explains the whole situation and I make a few insignificant corrections just to irritate Lexie the storyteller. “Wow!” Jane says. “How exactly did you bag someone already? You’re not even as hot as Jane is and you already have someone that’s into you”.

“Gee! Thanks, ID,” I say, sarcasm dripping from the corners of my mouth. “Why are you angry? The insult was definitely targeted at me,” Jane says. “I think it was targeted at both of you,” ID says. “I really should stop hanging out with you, ID because you already have a boyfriend and you’re not necessarily helping me to look for one”.

“Okay then, let’s see how you’ll get to class tomorrow when it’s freezing outside”. “Hear me out guys but why exactly is having a boyfriend important?” Lexie asks. “That’s the thing, Lex, it’s not about having a boyfriend. It’s about the number of people that want to go out with you. I have zero and Char has two”.

“Two?” Lexie and I say simultaneously. “Yeah, Bryan and Tyler,” she explains. I don’t even have the time to explain my facial expression because of the knock on the door.